Efudex

Topical 5-fluorouracil is a common treatment for actinic keratoses. Its side effects may include intense erythema, erosions, contact dermatitis, systemic intolerance in susceptible individuals, and ulcerations. We present a case of a 78-year-old woman who developed unilateral ectropion after topical 5-fluorouracil application. This case highlights the importance of clear patient instruction while prescribing topical 5-fluorouracil. Patients should be advised to wash their hands thoroughly after application...

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Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the United States and worldwide. Topical products are effective for treating cancerous skin lesions when surgery is not feasible. However, current topical products induce severe irritation, light-sensitivity, burning, scaling, and inflammation. Using hyaluronic acid (HA), we engineered clinically translatable polymer-drug conjugates of doxorubicin and camptothecin termed, DOxorubicin and Camptothecin Tailored at Optimal Ratios (DOCTOR) for topical treatment of skin cancers...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Warts are a common pediatric skin disease. Most treatments show only modest benefit, and some are poorly tolerated because of pain. 5-fluorouracil interferes with deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid synthesis, and is used to treat genital warts in adults. Efficacy, safety, and tolerability of topical 5% 5-fluorouracil for treatment of common warts were examined in an open-label pilot study with pediatric patients. Thirty-nine children who have at least two hand warts applied 5% 5-fluorouracil cream (Efudex, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International) once or twice daily, under occlusion for 6 weeks...

Peripheral neuropathy secondary to 5-flourouracil and capecitabine (Xeloda) has been reported. We report the first case of exacerbation of peripheral neuropathy related to topical 5-flourouracil (Efudex). A 70-year-old Caucasian male with a history of actinic keratosis for 15 years was treated intermittently with topical application of 5-flourouracil. He also developed sensory peripheral neuropathy around the same time, but extensive work-up disclosed no clear etiology. In early 2005, he developed an exacerbation of his peripheral neuropathy following a 21-day course of topical 5-flourouracil for actinic keratosis, especially pain and parasthesias...

Actinic keratoses (AKs) are traditionally treated with cryotherapy, curettage, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU, Efudex, ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), all of which are associated with adverse effects. Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) with topical 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) offers a treatment alternative, current protocols require 14 to 18 hours incubation with ALA and patients experience pain during light treatment. Fifteen patients with multiple and diffuse facial AKs applied 5-FU nightly for 5 days and underwent PDT with ALA (Levulan Kerastick, Dusa Pharmaceuticals, Inc...

Actinic keratosis (AK) may be an early stage of carcinoma in situ and invasive carcinoma. Excision or destruction of AKs is one of the most frequently performed procedures in dermatology. The most common treatments for AKs in the United States are liquid nitrogen cryotherapy and 5-fluorouracil. This paper focuses on the topical 5% fluorouracil cream (Efudex), 1% fluorouracil cream (Fluoroplex), and 0.5% fluorouracil cream (Carac) formulations. Our objective was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of topical fluorouracil cream formulations for managing facial AKs from the perspective of the third-party payer, with a one-year time period...

BACKGROUND: In certain situations, successful topical therapy of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) without the inconvenience, risk, and expense of surgery would be of great value to patients. Placing 5-fluorouracil (FU) in an appropriate carrier may solve these problems. Phosphatidyl choline (PC) penetrates effectively throughout the epidermis of shaved rabbits and may be able to carry small water-soluble molecules such as nucleotides across lipid barriers when applied topically. OBJECTIVE: We propose that employing PC as a vehicle will facilitate the penetration of 5-FU and increase efficacy as compared to petrolatum-based 5-FU cream...

INTRODUCTION: Erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp is a rare and chronic dermatosis of unknown etiology with non specific histology and without effective treatment. It affects mostly old women. We have observed a 80 year-old male suffering from an erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp following application of 5 p. 100 fluorouracile cream (Efudex) and his resistance to various treatments including skin graft. OBSERVATION: An 80 year-old man had been suffering, for many years from recurrent episodes of pustules, erosions and crusts of the scalp, following treatment with 5 p...

Microdialysis sampling of the dermis in vivo was accomplished using a linear microdialysis probe. In contrast to previous studies using a commercial cannula-style microdialysis probe, the linear probe had no effect on the flux of drug through the skin in vitro. The extent of tissue damage in vivo due to probe implantation was evaluated by histological examination and microdialysis delivery studies. Tissue damage due to implantation of the linear probe was minimal with no bleeding or edema observed. Infiltration of lymphocytes into the tissue was observed beginning 6 hours after probe implantation with scar tissue beginning to form after approximately 32 hours...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of alpha-interferon as an adjuvant to laser or fluorouracil treatment in patients with recurrent genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. METHODS: Sixty-two females and 21 males were treated for recurrent HPV infection, with either fluorouracil (Efudex 5%) cream or laser ablation of the lesions. Half of the patients were then randomly treated with adjuvant alpha-interferon, to the lesions for patients treated with fluorouracil, or beneath areas previously treated by laser, once a week, for 8 weeks...

A regimen for improving the salvage rate for Stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, alveolar ridge and floor of mouth is presented. This method utilizes pre-operative sensitization of the tumor and regional lymph nodes by the topical application of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in the form of Efudex (Roche). The drug must be used topically at the tumor skin or tumor-mucous membrane interface to utilize the sensitizing properties of skin or mucous membrane. Further response is obtained by direct injections of 5-FU into the tumor...

Topical 5-fluorouracil (Efudex) has been shown to be of great value in the treatment of skin cancers, Marjolin ulcers, and advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth and esophagus. It has been advocated for use on patients with melanocytic dysplasia and lentigo maligna melanoma. This report confirms the use of topical 5-FU for lentigo maligna melanoma and melanocytic dysplasia. In melanomas with poor prognosis, preoperative treatment with topical 5-FU converts the cellular infiltrate from acute inflammatory cells to round cells which have been shown to be T-cells...

Four patients are described who experienced an acute episode of eczematous dermatitis of the scrotum where 5-fluorouracil (Efudex) cream had inadvertently been applied in the course of treating warts and keratoses. The reaction was not allergic in origin but resulted from the unique absorptive capabilities of scrotal skin, which permitted entrance and local toxic effects of 5-fluorouracil.

Venereal warts are an ancient disease, but the relationship between certain human papillomavirus serotypes and genital neoplasia is just being recognized. Women are at higher risk for development of neoplasia from the infection and are more likely to be reinfected, because a male partner's lesions may be invisible without application of acetic acid or examination of a urethral smear. Other factors that favor progression to cancer are young age at first exposure, multiplicity of exposures, and immunosuppression...

The topical administration of 5% fluorouracil (Efudex) was used on 60 males afflicted with recurrent papillomaviral infection, all partners of women with proved HPV disease. The overall response to the medication was 84 percent (total plus partial responses) for those patients afflicted with mixed disease of the shaft, compared with the subclinical and exophytic varieties with 70 and 67 percent response, respectively. Because HPV infections tend to be a field phenomenon involving the entire lower genital tract, this simple form of treatment, that is locally applied with few side effects, appears to be ideal for the management, prophylaxis, and treatment of recurrent disease...